Skip hoist



Nov. 26, 1940.

J. N. RICHARDSON SKIP HOIST Filed June 23, 1939 I INVENTOR.

Miro/"v ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED j STATES ATENT ()FFICE Y This application relates in-general toa simple, inexpensive and efiicient hoist :for loading material in a bucket at the front-of .an inclined track .and tilting the bucket to discharge from the bottom through the track'at the upper ,end thereof.

An important object of the invention is to provide a top loading and bottom dumping hoist having a bucket pivoted in a carrier which forms a bottom therefor, the bucket being tilted to open the entire lower end :thereof for discharging. e v I A further object of the invention is inthe provision of a skip hoist having a tiltable bucket with a relatively movable bottom closure, the bucket and closure being movable to swing the closure and tiltthe bucket in discharging material from the bottom thereof.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a skip hoist whichdischarges in an opening at the side of a furnace';.-to support thehoist entirely separate and independent of the :furnace; to provide a hoist which is easily'loaded, operated and discharged with "a minimum of mechanism and other partS and to provide a structure which is not likely to get out of order.

In the accompanying drawingillustrating the invention,

Fig. 1 is a combined sectional and elevational view illustrating the hoist in dumping position through the lateral opening of a furnace; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan, View of thestructure shown in Fig. l.

In a bottom discharging bucket .of the cone type it is desirable to position the bucket in an upright position over the furnaceinto which it discharges, which necessitates either a fixed rest in or upon the furnace structure. itself or a firm support at the side of the furnace which projects thereover and relates thereto. The cone bottom restricts the discharge and requires considerable mechanism to hold andguide it in'place and to operate it relatively to-the bucket in discharging and in moving the "bucket upon the track or carrier. The present invention overcomes all of these objections 'by' providing a bucket and a bottom closure. which are pivoted together and are relatively movabl'eiso that each may be laterally swung at theupper end of a track to quickly uncover the bottomof the buck- .et, to swing the bottom cover laterally and :to

tilt the bucket for discharging fromthe bottom. In the present invention these relative move- /ments of the bucket and its bottom are automatically effected by the inclination .of thetrack,

the engagement of the bucket therewith and by a cam engagement of the bottom closure .for the ing, a furnace or other structure 4 into which .the skip hoist discharges has a lateral receiving opening 5 for the hoist which comprises an inclined track formed of oppositely inwardly opening channels 6 secured to upright beams l at the outer sides of the track and adjacent to but not depending upon the structure of the furnace. .At its lowerfend the track extends into a charging pit 8 formed in the floor 9 or other level surface so that a bucket Hl when at the lower end of the hoist is seated at the bottom of the pit 8 flush with the top thereof in front of the track so that it may beeasily loaded from the :floor or surface '9.

Thebucket 'is mounted in the channels forming the track by upper and lower projections l l and 12 formed integral with or rigidly secured thereto at the outer ends of which are wheels 'ISrunning in the channels and disposed at such an angle to each other and to the bucket that it is held substantially upright as raised and loweredby the track.

"The bucket is shown as substantially circular having a bottom opening 14 cut in a circular plane so that it may be swung relatively :to a bottom or cover 15 for closing the bottom opening of the bucket when in upright position. At one side of'the bottom is aprojection Hi to limit the movement of the bucket in this direction and extending upwardly at each side of the bottom and at the sides of the bucket are arms 11 pivoted at their upper ends to the top or upper edges of the bucket at opposite sides thereof, the location of the pivots l8 of the arms being at the center of the arc of the bottom M of the bucketso that the bucket and the bottom cover will swing relatively to each other about the pivots I8 to uncover the bottom :or lower end -of the bucket for discharging therefrom.

The upper endsof the'track channels 6 have .curvedextremities 20 engaged by the bucket mounting wheels l3 of the upper projections H and projecting from the inner or under side of each of the rails is a cam projection 2| adapted toengage corresponding projections or rollers .22 extending .from the ends of the bottom 15 at the side' opposite the projection l6. Also connected to the upper edge of the'bucket,.,preferably .at the .inside edge thereof, are attachment ears 23 for engagement with a lifting cable 24 which extends to an electric motor 25 mounted above the bent extremity 20 of the track and preferably between the supports .1.

In operation the bucket is first loaded in the charging pit and is raised by the motor 25 and 'its cable 24, the bucket being maintained ina level position by the engagement of its rollers with the track until the inclined portions 20 at "the upper ends of the track are entered by the upper rollers 13.

This causes the bucket to be tilted and at the same time the bottom closure I5 is engaged by the cam members 2| which swing it oppositely to the tilting movement of the bucket, thereby quickly separating the bucket and its bottom at the discharge position and quickly opening the entire bottom to discharge into the furnace. The upper rollers l3 of the bucket are located substantially at the top of the bucket and the lower rollers l3 from the projections l2 are intermediate the top and bottom of the bucket so that the bucket substantially swings upon these lower rollers as a central pivot in tilting the bucket in discharge position.

The motor is provided with automatic stops (not shown) which limit the raising movement of the bucket and the bucket or hoist may then be returned automatically by the motor or a switch may be manually closed for reversing the operation of the motor. In any event the lowering movement of the hoist returns the bucket to upright position and as it moves downwardly the bottom is restored by gravity to an upright position at the bottom of the bucket covering the lower discharge end thereof and in readiness for recharging when it reachesthe bottom thereof.

In the action of this hoist the bucket is loaded at the front of the track at the top of the bucket and the bucket is tilted and the bottom is swung to discharge the material from the bottom through the track to the under or lower side thereof, the material being discharged from the bottom in the same order in which it is placed in the bucket without intermingling or disturbing action of a central cone bottom or other obstruction so that it is possible to discharge material into a furnace in layers superposed in substantially the same order in which they are placed in the charging bucket itself.

I claim:

1. A skip hoist comprising an upwardly extending track with spaced rails, a bucket mounted for movement between the rails and including a bottom pivoted to the outside of the bucket at a distance from the end thereof, and means to swing the bucket and bottom oppositely to each other and relatively to the rails to discharge material from the lower end of the bucket.

2. A skip hoist comprising an upwardly extending track with spaced rails, a bucket mounted for movement between the rails and includin a bottom pivoted to the outside of the bucket, and means to tilt the bucket and swing the bottom transversely of the end of the bucket oppositely to the bucket in the rails to uncover the lower end of the bucket, in discharging therefrom.

3. In a skip hoist, an upwardly extending track with spaced rails, a bucket open at both ends 'having means mounting it for longitudinal and tilting movement between the rails, a bottom pivoted to the bucket at a distance from the end, and cam means in fixed relation to the rails for engaging the bottom and moving it relative to the release and opposite the tilting of the bucket to open the bucket to discharge.

4. In a furnace charger, an inclined track with spaced rails, a bucket open at its upper and lower ends having attached means for maintaining it in contact with the rails, a bottom pivoted to the bucket, means for swinging the bottom in the rails and transversely of the end of the bucket, and the rails being curved at a predetermined point to tilt the bucket in the rails oppositely with respect to the bottom for discharging material from the lower end.

5. In a furnace charger, an upwardly inclined straight track with a bent upper portion, a bucket having attached supports for holding it in upright position in the straight track portion and for tilting it in the bent portion, a bottom pivoted to the bucket, and means to engage the bottom when the bucket is tilted by said bent portion for swinging the bottom oppositely to the tilting of the bucket and uncovering the lower end of the bucket for discharging material therefrom.

6. In a skip hoist, an upwardly inclined track having a bent portion at its upper end, a bucket open at the lower end having attached supports for holding it with respect to the track, the bent portion of the track causing a tilting movement of the bucket, a bottom pivoted to the bucket to cover and uncover the lower end thereof, and cam means fixed with respect to the track for engagingand swinging the bottom oppositely to the movement of the adjacent end of the bucket atthe time that the bucket is tilted by the track so that material will be discharged freely from the lower end of the bucket.

' 7. A furnace charger in accordance with claim 6 in which the bottom is provided with a projection at one side for engaging and limiting the return tilting movement of the bucket with respect thereto and retaining the bucket in closing loading position.

8. A furnace charger of the type comprising an inclined. track having a bucket mounted to move and swing between the rails thereof from a charging position in front of the track, the track having an inclined portion at its upper end for engaging the bucket to tilt it, the bucket being open at the lower end, a cover for the lower end pivoted to move across the end of the bucket, means for raising the bucket and. cover in the track, and means for swinging the cover reversely to the tilting movement of the bucket produced by the inclination of the track to discharge the contents of the bucket from its lower end through the track.

9. In a skip hoist, an inclined track having a bent hoist tilting portion, a bucket open at its upper and lower ends having mounting means attached thereto engaging the track for holding the bucket in upright position in the track and fortilting the bucket by the bent discharging portion of the track, the said mounting means being located substantially at one side of its transverse center, a bottom pivoted vertically above the said mounting means at the outside of the bucket and movable by gravity to cover the lower open end of the bucket, and to uncover the lower end when the bucket is tilted.

10. A structure in accordance with claim 9 in which the side of the bottom opposite the supporting means is provided with a projection for limiting the swinging movement of the bucket and bottom and for retaining the bottom in bucket closing position.

11. A structure in accordance with claim 9 in which the track comprises opposite inwardly turned channel rails and'the mounting means for the'bucket comprises fixed upper and lower projections on each side with wheels mounted thereon and movable in the channel rails for guiding the bucket in raising and tilting it.

JOHN N. RICHARDSON. 

